ISPs told to block film and music pirates

The
six biggest UK internet service providers were last week ordered to block
access to three websites offering pirated media, despite fresh data showing that
similar efforts last year had little effect in reducing file-sharing.

The ruling, handed down on Thursday at the High Court in London, means ISPs
such as Sky and BT must block Kickass Torrents, H33T and Fenopy, which allow
users to obtain music and films without paying the license holders.

But data from global analysts Musicmetric, measuring the consumption of Bit
Torrent files, shows there has been little impact following a court order banning
the Pirate Bay website last April.

“Data
around the blocking of Pirate Bay in the UK last April showed little negative
impact on file sharing, which would have been due to the slew of copy-cat sites
set up on proxy servers,” said Gregory Mead, chief executive of Semetric,
owners of Musicmetric.

“Blocking
websites isn’t as simple as shutting down a market stall selling copied videos
or CDs, and web pirates can be very slippery.”

According
to the group’s Digital Music Index, a report into digital music, file sharing
is increasing globally, and is being driven by emerging markets such as Brazil
and India.

More
positively for rights-holders, the report found that pay-for services, such as
iTunes and Spotify, have begun to curb piracy levels in the UK and US.

“The
strong wording in [the High Court’s] judgment could help the entertainment
industry take stronger action against copyright theft, although what is clear
is that making legal services available can really help,” reflected Mr Mead.

“The
key thing is for the industry to find ways of engaging with fans and using data
on all online media consumption will enable firms to connect with their fans
and drive up revenue as more and more consume music and films digitally.”